Looking out at the stirring streets of the forsaken city of Milwaukee, a small strand of hope was being grasped onto by Marvis. It felt more like riding along on a automated train of some sort. A series of events uncontrolled and the destinations unchanged, they were were stuck on the rails moving in one direction. It was hard to say if this was forward or not. Marvis was fearful of the possibility that his life no longer rested in his own hands. They were all in this together and he had gotten himself in way too deep.
The sun was breaking over the Eastern edge of the crumbling towers that now serve as a barricade from the lake. The properties there used to be much desired in the world before it fell. People would pay thousands of dollars just to stay there for years on end. They had cozy little rooms filled with electrically powered utensils and devices of every sort. Marvis often daydreamed of the time before, from his Abuela's stories, he always imagined it was an amazing time and place. His thoughts would lead him to believe how easy and stress-free it must have been. Abuela used to say that there were stores that were opened all day and all night and that you could always come and go as you pleased. These shops would be stocked with hundreds of thousands of food items from all over the world. She always said how there were so many types of beans that there was a 30 foot wall covered in them. Which seemed like a very silly image to Marvis, not realizing they were all in can form.
The Gambler, the Pirate, the Gardener, and the Barbarian all walked into the growing free market. Their return journey this time was intended to actually make purchases this time around. Last time they were here it was just in passing, and Marvis was hungrier now than he was then. He only had tidbits of food over the last day and a half. The market was just waking up and vendors seemed to be crawling out from underneath and between things. It appeared to be more like an infestation rather than a place of business. And the men were more like cockroaches. It was always odd how this sort of trading of goods seemed to attract a certain type of person. It was usually a late 30's male, who was balding, with a swollen stomach, and terrible manners. Each trader tended to have a equally disgusting quirk like rubbing himself mid-conversation or digging for some less precious and then attempting to flick it away if he did find something. That is of course if he wasn't just swallowing the gobs of his own snot by choice beforehand. And each one of them was a food server or some sort of wares peddler, Marvis thought back again to the stories he was told, how it must have been so much better and cleaner back then.
A few of the others wandered off, and Marvis was left to shop about on his own. He had two water tokens in his pocket and most meals were worth one or something of equal value. A lot of the stalls read 'Barter Only.' Marvis's illiteracy got the better of him but after the third stall he was able to draw meaning from the sign. He got himself a nice hot meal of some bread, eggs, and a slice of meat that was being cooked on a rotating spit. The bread was stiff, the eggs were runny, and yet the meat was quite soft. Marv assumed it was lamb, something he had a lot back in the village.
It only took him about an hour or so to find a few vendors looking for a game. Most were uninterested and the morning was the worst time to start a match, the shops usually didn't want to accept losses that early. But he found a few of these slimy sluggish shopkeepers who were willing to put some wares on the line for a good solid game. The game was simple and quick; there were three dice with six sides each. A small bowl was the fair grounds of rolling, you'd drop your dice in with three chances. The first time you rolled two matching numbers would determine your score, the third die was your score. The person with the highest score wins. It was simple enough for anyone to learn and fun enough for everyone to play. And the most important part to Marv was that the game could in no way be rigged, fixed, or swindled. It was entirely a game of chance and that was the way he liked it.
“Hey Marv buddy, where've ya been?” Roland asked as Marvis walked up to them near the water traders.
“Oh, nowhere really,” Marv turned his body a little to slightly conceal the bag of goods he obtained. “I just grabbed some breakfest and stuff.” He held back bragging about his winnings.
“What's in the bag there, I can't really see it, you're in the way.” Bindi pounced at Marv and started poking the dirty bag sewn together from varying scraps of fabric, Marvis's own and less proud work.
“Uh,” he nervously stuttered, “Well, it isn't stolen...” He tried to make it sound as smooth as possible. “I won it all.” Everyone else stared in disbelief because they knew he only had two water tokens, except Bindi. She turned with bright-eyed excitement.
“CONGRATULATIONS!” She squeaked. “Anything for us?” Her doey-eyes batted.
“Well, let's see...” Marv replied with a smug smirk, “Maybe we should move somewhere...safer.”He said as he looked into the satchel.
The sun was breaking over the Eastern edge of the crumbling towers that now serve as a barricade from the lake. The properties there used to be much desired in the world before it fell. People would pay thousands of dollars just to stay there for years on end. They had cozy little rooms filled with electrically powered utensils and devices of every sort. Marvis often daydreamed of the time before, from his Abuela's stories, he always imagined it was an amazing time and place. His thoughts would lead him to believe how easy and stress-free it must have been. Abuela used to say that there were stores that were opened all day and all night and that you could always come and go as you pleased. These shops would be stocked with hundreds of thousands of food items from all over the world. She always said how there were so many types of beans that there was a 30 foot wall covered in them. Which seemed like a very silly image to Marvis, not realizing they were all in can form.
The Gambler, the Pirate, the Gardener, and the Barbarian all walked into the growing free market. Their return journey this time was intended to actually make purchases this time around. Last time they were here it was just in passing, and Marvis was hungrier now than he was then. He only had tidbits of food over the last day and a half. The market was just waking up and vendors seemed to be crawling out from underneath and between things. It appeared to be more like an infestation rather than a place of business. And the men were more like cockroaches. It was always odd how this sort of trading of goods seemed to attract a certain type of person. It was usually a late 30's male, who was balding, with a swollen stomach, and terrible manners. Each trader tended to have a equally disgusting quirk like rubbing himself mid-conversation or digging for some less precious and then attempting to flick it away if he did find something. That is of course if he wasn't just swallowing the gobs of his own snot by choice beforehand. And each one of them was a food server or some sort of wares peddler, Marvis thought back again to the stories he was told, how it must have been so much better and cleaner back then.
A few of the others wandered off, and Marvis was left to shop about on his own. He had two water tokens in his pocket and most meals were worth one or something of equal value. A lot of the stalls read 'Barter Only.' Marvis's illiteracy got the better of him but after the third stall he was able to draw meaning from the sign. He got himself a nice hot meal of some bread, eggs, and a slice of meat that was being cooked on a rotating spit. The bread was stiff, the eggs were runny, and yet the meat was quite soft. Marv assumed it was lamb, something he had a lot back in the village.
It only took him about an hour or so to find a few vendors looking for a game. Most were uninterested and the morning was the worst time to start a match, the shops usually didn't want to accept losses that early. But he found a few of these slimy sluggish shopkeepers who were willing to put some wares on the line for a good solid game. The game was simple and quick; there were three dice with six sides each. A small bowl was the fair grounds of rolling, you'd drop your dice in with three chances. The first time you rolled two matching numbers would determine your score, the third die was your score. The person with the highest score wins. It was simple enough for anyone to learn and fun enough for everyone to play. And the most important part to Marv was that the game could in no way be rigged, fixed, or swindled. It was entirely a game of chance and that was the way he liked it.
“Hey Marv buddy, where've ya been?” Roland asked as Marvis walked up to them near the water traders.
“Oh, nowhere really,” Marv turned his body a little to slightly conceal the bag of goods he obtained. “I just grabbed some breakfest and stuff.” He held back bragging about his winnings.
“What's in the bag there, I can't really see it, you're in the way.” Bindi pounced at Marv and started poking the dirty bag sewn together from varying scraps of fabric, Marvis's own and less proud work.
“Uh,” he nervously stuttered, “Well, it isn't stolen...” He tried to make it sound as smooth as possible. “I won it all.” Everyone else stared in disbelief because they knew he only had two water tokens, except Bindi. She turned with bright-eyed excitement.
“CONGRATULATIONS!” She squeaked. “Anything for us?” Her doey-eyes batted.
“Well, let's see...” Marv replied with a smug smirk, “Maybe we should move somewhere...safer.”He said as he looked into the satchel.